Remembering 90's!!!

This is not going to be some political adventure, this is some thing which I wanted to talk about..I was driving alone on a sunday eve when I heard of few Pakistani songs from the 90's on the radio and this is the reason why I am writing this article. 90's was surely the best era for the Pakistani music; experiencing artists like the vital signs, Junoon, Strings, Awaaz, Hasan Jahangir, Zohaib And Nazia Hassan, Fakhr-e-Alam and many more...It was the blend of the best which will never be forgotten.

Disco Deewane!! Yes I mean Nazia Hassan, s urely an icon for our country. Her song "Disco deewane" received great acclamation worldwide specially in our neighbors. The song made it to different night clubs across India and UK and was considered as a perfect beat to show your moves at.

*Hawa Hawa*!! The "Pop Star" Hasan Jahangir came in with this sensational hit and took many hearts away..The song took him to Bollywood where it received a great response.(I hope we all remember his kingly entrance through a helicopter in a concert)...

How can we forget "Billo"? Pakistan's pop industry cannot end with out Billo being involed..The famous hit by Abrar Ul Haq * Billo K ghur* was a major hit with in the country and did contribute to the local music scene to a great extent. The beat got popular among the young boys of that time and was being used pretty frequently in lighter contexts..

Tu mere liye Jadoo ka chiragh hai...Tu ye tou butaa paani hai k aag hai....Oops! sorry for that....How can we forget "Awaz"!!!..The trio comprising of Haroon, Fakhir and the leading guitar player in today's Pakistani music industry Asad Ahmed gave us great hits like "Aye jawan" , "Mr. Fraudy" and " jadoo Ka chiraagh" which surely rocked many hearts out there..

When we talk about Rock music in Pakistan the first name that hits our minds is Junoon!!! A band who took Pakistan's name to different parts of the world and gave out the real image of what this country is capable of by giving a new dimension to music known as "Sufi Rock",with their hits like "Neend Aati Nai", " Khudi", "Saiyoni" and the ever popular "Jazba-e-Junoon" Junoon surely influenced many other local rock bands to come in the main stream .

When we talk about "Jugni"we have to talk about Saleem Javed, another pop artist from Pakistan who did bring some great music to the country.

Speaking of good music and lyrics " Sar Kiye Pahar" and "Duur" are worth of listening.. The boys from Karachi "Faisal Kapadia" and "Bilal Maqsood"when merged formed one of the greatest sensations in the subcontinent's music industry knowns as "Strings'. Strings, now surely the most successful band in South Asia brought a new sense of music which mostly focused Pop/rock. The band still stands today and the success story goes on as they go on with their journey....

This article would completely be useless if it ends without the most highly acclaimed band in Pakistan's music industry i.e" Vital Signs", comprising of some great talent like Junaid Jamshed, Rohail Hayat, Shahzad hasan and Nusrat Husain and with their most of the songs being written by The Shoaib Mansoor ..The band touched the skies...Dil Dil Pakistan standing 3rd on BBC world music charts and giving out hits like "Aitebaar", " Wo Kon Thi" And "Sanwali saloni" Vital signs gave rise to a new era of music with in the country which they will always be remembered for..

When ever I have listened to these people I have always cherished those moments that I have spent in my childhood listening to these songs ..I would only say that those were some great times which shall always be remembered....

Remembering 90's!!!

This is not going to be some political adventure, this is some thing which I feel is needed to be talked about...Yes I mean our pop music industry in the 90's, surely the best era for the Pakistani music; experiencing artists like the vital signs, Junoon, Strings, Awaaz, Hasan Jahangir, Zohaib And Nazia Hassan, Fakhr-e-Alam and many more...It was the blend of the best which will never be forgotten.

Disco Deewane!! Yes I mean Nazia Hassan, surely an icon for our country. Her song "Disco deewane" received great acclamation worldwide specially in our neighbors. The song made it to different night clubs across India and UK and was considered as a perfect beat to show your moves at.

*Hawa Hawa*!! The "Pop Star" Hasan Jahangir came in with this sensational hit and took many hearts away..The song took him to Bollywood where it received a great response.(I hope we all remember his kingly entrance through a helicopter in a concert)...

How can we forget "Billo"? Pakistan's pop industry cannot end with out Billo being involed..The famous hit by Abrar Ul Haq * Billo K ghur* was a major hit with in the country and did contribute to the local music scene to a great extent. The beat got popular among the young boys of that time and was being used pretty frequently in lighter contexts..

Tu mere liye Jadoo ka chiragh hai...Tu ye tou butaa paani hai k aag hai....Oops! sorry for that....How can we forget "Awaz"!!!..The trio comprising of Haroon, Fakhir and the leading guitar player in today's Pakistani music industry Asad Ahmed gave us great hits like "Aye jawan" , "Mr. Fraudy" and " jadoo Ka chiraagh" which surely rocked many hearts out there..

When we talk about Rock music in Pakistan the first name that hits our minds is Junoon!!! A band who took Pakistan's name to different parts of the world and gave out the real image of what this country is capable of by giving a new dimension to music known as "Sufi Rock",with their hits like "Neend Aati Nai", " Khudi", "Saiyoni" and the ever popular "Jazba-e-Junoon" Junoon surely influenced many other local rock bands to come in the main stream .

When we talk about "Jugni"we have to talk about Saleem Javed, another pop artist from Pakistan who did bring some great music to the country.

Speaking of good music and lyrics " Sar Kiye Pahar" and "Duur" are worth of listening.. The boys from Karachi "Faisal Kapadia" and "Bilal Maqsood"when merged formed one of the greatest sensations in the subcontinent's music industry knowns as "Strings'. Strings, now surely the most successful band in South Asia brought a new sense of music which mostly focused Pop/rock. The band still stands today and the success story goes on as they go on with their journey....

This article would completely be useless if it ends without the most highly acclaimed band in Pakistan's music industry i.e" Vital Signs", comprising of some great talent like Junaid Jamshed, Rohail Hayat, Shahzad hasan and Nusrat Husain and with their most of the songs being written by The Shoaib Mansoor ..The band touched the skies...Dil Dil Pakistan standing 3rd on BBC world music charts and giving out hits like "Aitebaar", " Wo Kon Thi" And "Sanwali saloni" Vital signs gave rise to a new era of music with in the country which they will always be remembered for..

When ever I have listened to these people I have always cherished those moments that I have spent in my childhood listening to these songs ..I would only say that those were some great times which shall always be remembered....

Wiki"leaks" Facts Or Stories???(Pakistan Edition)

The header says it all of what I am going to discuss in this article. Wiki leaks, an organization or a media agency and what not has released some highly confidential documents related to the current global scenario, decisions that were taken in locked rooms, ones we never know of and ones that are outlandish... let it be the election of our beloved President.

In the recent revelations being made by wikileaks over Pakistan in particular may sound quite heart throbbing but they do have evident facts behind. Let it be The Saudi Monarchist’s perception regarding President Zardari or let it be the fact that Middle eastern entrepreneurs are funding the Muslim Fundamentalist and terrorist organizations in Pakistan and abroad or a sudden military coup by dismantling this present government.

The credibility of President Zardari hasn’t been up to the standards a. He has made mistakes and does not hold the clearest of images when it comes to certain felonies. These aspects surely could have lead to such statements from those Saudi Monarchists over President Zardari making the leak some how explainable.

The other case in point is the sympathy being held by the middle eastern capitalists for the terrorist organizations currently functioning in Pakistan. Though our government officials disregard this fact so that the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia do not get affected in particular or for the fact that Saudi Arabia turns out to be a safe prospect(heaven) when our politicians step back from their governmental roles. But yes the case in point is that there have been certain huge funding which is being made to these militant organizations through the middle east as these groups had developed a soft corner in the hearts of these Saudi Entrepreneurs in the late 80’s.

Thirdly a military takeover? Yes the leak is true to an extent that after how the government mishandled the specifications of “The Kerry Luger Bill”, army did intervene and it did warn the government not to put on stake the sovereignty of Pakistan at any cause. Pakistan Army took a very strong notice of those unacceptable demands that this government did agree upont and took appropriate steps to put them out of the bill. This particular even could have gone up to a military takeover if the government would have challenged the army’s decision in any way.

The post affects still prevail within the government of what happened over Kerry Luger Bill but Gen Kiyani has handled the situation well by keeping things in control and letting the democratic process grow. Letting President Zardari remain in power, Pakistan army appears to have won over US and other global leaders which indeed is a good sign.

Hence I would only conclude that there is a lot to talk about but what matters the most is Pakistan and its autonomy which we can never give up and never will……..

Pakistan Zindabad.

Remembering Musharraf....

It has almost been two years since I mainly focused on the former President Of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf in my articles. But the recent header over News week's upcoming Pakistan issue " Don't Mess With Pakistan" some how urged me to right over him.

Musharraf recently gave an interview to an internationally acclaimed magazine news week which will be published later this month in which he warned the anti Pakistan elements to stop working over conspiracies against the nation or else Pakistan will make them suffer!!!

Musharraf has been hugely criticized by many news analysts and politicians in Pakistan for the fact that he made Pakistan step into west's war over terrorism which now indeed has turned out to be our war .

The former President was under the spotlight during his 9-year period in office. Many regard his period as a revolution in Pakistan’s political and economic history while certain faction believes that what we are experiencing today was being sowed during his times.

I have been a keen supporter to Musharraf’s policies and his deep concerns over Pakistan’s global position. The Retd General is currently heading a political party with the name of “ All Pakistan Muslim League” with an ambission to bring prosperity to Pakistan.

In his recent interview to the News week he looked quite aggressive with his approach regarding Pakistan’s sovereignty. He notified the fact that Pakistan has the potential to overcome any crisis it is facing or may face in upcoming future.

I believe a libertarian like Musharraf holds the potential to change things around for Pakistan. He has done it before that’s why the local religious extremists do not like him much neither do the national political parties.

I found Musharraf different because he thinks “Pakistan comes first” unlike others who do shout out loud that “Pakistan Khappay” but they never mean it.

Musharraf did bring a lot of hope to Pakistan in his era and I believe that’s a great achievement for a leader.

Hence being someone who wants Musharraf back in this system I would just say that we truly miss you sir. May God bless you.

Pakistan Paindabad!!!!

Crucial Times...

The nation is going through turbulent times. Pakistan is living on the edge these days. Let it be India's immoral motives against Pakistan ,the international pressure over different issues, Flood victims rehabilitation process, downsizing economy or the recent bombings in karachi and other major cities of the country, Pakistan is suffering...badly.

Recent analysis show that these are one of the most difficult times that Pakistan has ever faced in its history. But the point in case here is that Pakistan has been through such times before. The war of 65 and 71, conditions after the nuclear launch or 9/11 or even the external pressures, the nation did survive and it prospered.

US President's recent business trip to India was being regarded as not a major threat to Pakistan's relations with USA and Obama rightfully played it well but in the end speaking to Log sabha(Indian Parliament) he did speak out few contradicting statements which did discourage few hopes in Pakistan like India's positive role in Afghanistan which indeed is not as positive as it was being told by President Obama.

Rehabilitation for victims of flood affected areas is another major challenge ahead of this country and the government.

The war on terror is another major issue which has to be addressed in a more structured manner as was done in swat and areas along.

India's motives have been quite evident of the fact that what can we be made go through in coming days, fundings to militant groups in Pakistan, stoppage of water flow to Pakistan, blaming Pakistan on almost everything even if a child in India gets his lollipop stolen Pakistan must be blamed!!!.

The issues related to sports specially cricket are getting out of control every day. Hearings over Salman butt and Amir's cases and Zulqurnain's acts surely need an attention forcing the governing bodies to restructure the whole board.

International pressure over different issues has also been a worry for this country. The sanctions imposed by IMF may sound scary but their implementation makes things worst as being explained by Joseph E Stiglitz.

Hence a lot is to be handled and it has to be handled right. Pakistan holds the experience of making through such extreme situations and it rightly will once the will is there ...will to change....

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!!!

Pakistan Heads IAEA (International Atomic Nuclear Agency)

Ansar parvez, Head of Pakistan's Atomic Energy Commission has unanimously been elected as the Chairman for the IAEA . Pakistan has had an opportunity to Head IAEA before once. This is the second time Pakistan has been voted as the Head of the IAEA.

Pakistan being involved into different nuclear issues including nuclear smuggling and a major threat to its nuclear assets from the militant groups residing with in the country was surprisingly welcomed by the international community and diplomats for being elected unanimously as the Head of IAEA.

Essence Of Individuality (Independence Day Message)

The word "individuality" holds very deep meanings within itself. The basic connotation to this word is the "distinctive character" of a person which distinguishes him from another person.

It has been 63 years to our independence and somewhat a struggle for survival . I know we have lost a lot in these years but why looking at the darker side of the picture?? One thing that we forget every time is that we saw, we realized and we learned from all what has happened since Pakistan took birth.The only thing needed is the implementation and it can be easily done once we all realize the "Essence Of Individuality", the strength we hold as an individual with in ourselves.

The concept of "Khudi" laid down by Iqbal clearly visualizes what we are capable of as being an individual. How beautifully he has depicted the potency of an individual through his words....

Khudi ko ker bulund itna,

Ke hur tuqdeer se pehle,

Khuda bunde se khud puche,

Bataa teri raza kya hai.

The war of 1965 against India is an apparent evident to it. We lacked in force and resources but we had that belief with in ourselves ,the sense of individualism that existed inside us proved all the odds wrong and yes we stood victorious.

We have a faction of examples put down by our own heroes in this regard.Let it be The great Quaid-E-Azam himself, Iqbal, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan or the lights of the Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas and Major Aziz Bhatti. These male protagonists believed in themselves and in their fate and therefore they proved to be the better ones with their epic acts.

The belief that we lost in ourselves has to be regained and with hefty of examples mentioned above we all know that its possible.We are the tomorrow of this nation. The time is right...the moment is here....Pakistan needs us...Lets stand up and make our motherland proud of us.

Pakistan Zindabad.

Pakistan's Contributions Must Be Recognized.

It has been a misery for under developing nations like Pakistan who have sacrificed a lot for critical global issues and when it was time to recognize their efforts, the world turned its back over them leaving them helpless in their own world.

Pakistan in particular has been a major victim to this cause, If we go through the global history of the past few decades we will find out how badly the position and the importance of Pakistan has been compromised by the international community which has brought nothing but hollow gaps in between the relations of the world especially the west with Pakistan.

I can put in frame various references to support my case at hand but I guess history itself is the best evidence we can have over this issue.

The war on terrorism presents a clear cut picture of what has been happening to the third world nations on the name of saving the humanity. Pakistan heavily contributed along United States Of America during the 80's but was left alone after the cold war knowing the after effects of the events which are now evident to us in the form of terrorism.

Hence after 9/11 Pakistan was again brought in a condition in which it had no choice then to fight for the whole world against the worst dilemma of the 21st century i.e Terrorism.

Pakistan yet again stood on the fore front for the world to fight against the militants and their malevolence. Not only this but Pakistan has been a major victim to this disease. Pakistan has lost 3,117 security forces members in the world's struggle against terrorism. According to the rough statistics around 30,000 casualties have been reported in Pakistan during war on terrorism and the suffering still continues.

Keeping in mind of what has been mentioned above one may find it quite astonishing it he/she sees a government leader from a country like United Kingdom claiming that Pakistan has been supporting these militants and is somehow funding them.

I believe releasing such statements will yet again start creating gaps in the bilateral relations of the west with Pakistan and will act as a demoralising agent for Pakistan in its efforts on the war against terrorism.

We have seen healthy realtions between the west and Pakistan during Musharraf's era and now we know it that its possible on the basis of common understanding.

There fore I believe that contributions made by Pakistan should be recognized equally rather then being criticized on basis of certain baseless facts given by the self proclaimed biggest economies in South Asia.

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD.

This time for AFRICA.

The FIFA world cup 2010 has finally taken a start off, and what could have one expected,this time it is not taking place in europe neither in the south or north american region, for all the football maniacs out there this time its for Africa.

The least expected South Africa is hosting this year's football world cup and being a bit critical regarding this year's venue,certain issues have arisen like small crimes, local weather and environment. As far as the crimes are concerned there have been news regarding robberies from tourist's hotel rooms, for which the government has taken certain measures. Secondly the weather around the country is quite cold which could bring in some health issues.

But yet again there are many positive aspects that lie aside by taking this year's world cup to South Africa which include lethal issues like racism and the importance of Africa in todays world.

Hence all we can hope for is another exciting world cup and this time its all for AFRICA.

The "K" Factor!

The caption speaks for itself. I have been working on the most commonly used term of 21st century i.e terrorism and have surely come upto certain conclusions regarding it. I under few more articles will be presenting those outcomes that I have extracted from the research I have made.

Now moving directly over today's topic The "K" factor. When I related this title to terrorism the first thing that struck my mind was Kazakistan and other central asian states as they have played a major role in exploiting these wild elements, but i wont be attacking the kazaks or uzbekis here.

There stands to be another group in Muslims known as Kharijites. I hope many of you would be aware of this term incase not then Kharijites is being regarded as that schismatist in Islam who were majorly involved in creating disputes between Hazrat Ali(A.S) and Hazrat Muawwiya(R.A), for which Muslim community still suffers. Kharijites do not accept the enitity of other Muslim sects and clearly regard them as Kaafirs ad consider their belief as the only sacred belief to Allah.

Taking the above scenario in mind if we look at the mindset of Tehrik-e-Taliban and its splinters functioning in Pakistan we will find out that they carry a very similar mindset. They do not support any sect let it be shiai-sm or sunni-ism. They have their own beliefs ands faiths which uptil now have proved quite disturbing and mind boggling for the rest of the society persisting in Pakistan. We have seen that what has happened in Swat even when nizaam-e-udul( Ordinance for peace) was being implemented there, we are still looking at what is happening in Southern Punjab and Waziristan, blood is being shed ruthlessly and humanity is suffering on a whole.

I think the current scheme of Talibans in Pakistan somehow holds vast interests over khariji ideology, as somehow these militants have declared a war over the Muslim Ummah, which was being done earlier in the history during Salahuddin's era when he had to fight the battle against the crusaders and these kharijites too at the same time.

The picture that worries me more is that this particular "k" factor is being funded and encouraged by some key intelligence agencies for their own interests which has and will be causing more and more problems if proper and firm steps are not being taken by the present government against it.

Pakistan Zindabad.

US will ‘do more and announce more’ for Pakistan: Holbrooke

US special representative Richard Holbrooke has indicated that the Obama administration would “do more and announce more” to assist Pakistan’s development in various fields.

Briefing the US State Department, Holbrooke said, “We are doing more, we will announce more, we want to do as much as the Congress will support, but Congress writes the cheques.”

The envoy praised Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Kayani for deciding to participate in the upcoming round of strategic dialogue in the US. He said strategic dialogue was not possible without the participation of the army. He also praised the Pakistan Army for its successes against terrorists in Tribal Areas.

Holbrooke described the agenda for the strategic dialogue as the fight against al Qaeda and improved bilateral relations between Pakistan and the US.

He said the US would also discuss with the Pakistani delegation issues related to the distribution of water and power. “Beyond the strategic broad-range discussions, we want to move into operational things like water, energy,” he said.

The US envoy also praised the government for arresting Mullah Baradar.

Holbrooke said the dialogue in the US on March 24 – to be led by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi – “marks a major intensification in our relationship”.

He said US officials would visit Islamabad on the Pakistani government’s invitation for the next round of the strategic dialogue. He said the round of dialogue to be held in Pakistan would be meaningful and not a mere photo session.

No surgical strike on terror camps in Pakistan: Indian Govt

India today ruled out the possibility of any surgical strike on terror camps inside Pakistan, but asserted that adequate measures would be taken to ensure its interests are protected.

"No, no," Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju, said when asked about the possibility of surgical strikes on terror camps inside the neighbouring country.

He told reporters here, "We will take adequate measures to see to it that our nation is safe, our citizens are safe, and our interests are safeguarded."

While expressing hope that Pakistan will act against terror camps operating from its soil, he said India will also ensure that its interests are protected and the nation is secure.

"The first responsibility is towards ensuring adequate security towards which we are leaving no stone unturned.